A woman has shared a heartfelt message about her experience of living with acne – and says clear skin is "not the secret to happiness".

Kyrie Green, 24, from Leicestershire, first started developing acne in October 2019 when she switched to a new contraceptive pill.

In an effort to calm her symptoms, Kyrie stopped taking the pill but the damage was done.

The situation soon got so dire that she turned to her GP – via a phone call and photos at first, due to lockdown – who immediately referred the young woman to a dermatologist.

And even the skin expert was shocked by the severity of Kyrie's skin problems.

“I thought my acne would subside, but I was very wrong,” she said.

“Over the next few months, the acne got more severe and more painful.

“When I sent the images in, she called me very soon after and said it was clearly serious and I was immediately referred to a dermatologist.

“The dermatologist grimaced when I took my mask off, which knocked my self-esteem quite a bit.

“Going from having completely acne-free skin to a severe breakout was a major shift in my life and it did affect my confidence.

“It was really hard – I never thought I would suffer with acne in the way that I did.”

Kyrie found it difficult to go out in public and adjust to having acne, having only ever had minimal breakouts in the past.

Luckily, lockdown meant that she couldn’t go out as much – with face masks hiding the majority of her face when she did.

But inside, Kyrie's confidence faltered and the young woman was so stressed about the skin that she couldn't think about anything else.

She said: “It was really difficult and I experienced very low lows. I thought all anyone was thinking and talking about was my skin, which was obviously not true at all but I still felt so insecure.

“At the early stage of my breakout I avoided looking in mirrors – my confidence levels were very low.

“I only took pictures of my skin to document the progress – or decline – of its health.

“At one time I had put on makeup because I was going to a job interview, and it was my first time wearing foundation in a few months. I caught myself in the mirror and burst into tears.”

Kyrie saw multiple dermatologists, as well as her GP, who said that the synthetic hormone in the pill she had been taking for two years prior had been slowly causing the acne.

Her GP prescribed a four-month course of antibiotics, which saw a dramatic improvement in Kyrie's symptoms.

Although she wouldn’t warn people off of the contraceptive pill fully, Kyrie thinks it is important that people are educated on the side effects before they start taking it.

“The pill has negatively impacted so many people’s lives and I think there is a certain duty of care when it comes to telling people what they could experience,” she said.

“Obviously there are side effects listed on the packet but when a person is 15 or 16 years old, I think we should try harder to educate them.

“I will never go back on hormonal contraception because it doesn’t suit me.

“I feel so free not being on them anymore – I feel like myself for the first time in years.”

Her skin has now cleared up a lot, with Kyrie only suffering with more severe breakouts during periods of ovulation and menstruation – but they are nothing compared to her previous struggle.

However, she says healing the acne hasn't made her happier.

Instead, the account executive praises the online community of fellow acne sufferers for helping her accept her skin and coming to terms with it.

Kyrie said: “I found that my happiness was not just about the condition of my skin.

“It was only one layer and in the end, when my face started to heal, that alone didn’t make me a happier person.

“What made me happy throughout my journey was the support I received on Instagram, through the acne community and through loved ones.

“Having that support system there helped me to accept my skin for whatever it was.

“After I started to post about my acne on Instagram, I accepted my skin and realised that acne is normal.”

Kyrie has now shared her experiences and photos in the hopes that it will help others who are suffering from acne.

“It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking that clear skin is the answer to all of your problems but I promise you it’s not," she wrote in a post which has since gone viral.

“Acne-free skin is not a long-term happiness solution.

“I’m here to tell you that your emotions are valid and happiness isn’t something that happens overnight."

The Instagram post has received more than 6,500 likes so far, leaving social media users touched – with many thanking Kyrie for sharing her experience.

One person said: “I’m glad I found your account! You have helped me on my journey to accepting my skin!”

“Your skin condition doesn’t = happiness,” another person agreed. [sic]

Another viewer said: “You helped me love my acne.”

“Girl you are amazing we love the acne positivity,” someone else agreed.

Another person added: “Wowww the progress is unbelievable.” [sic]

“You are beautiful,” commented one fan.

Someone else said: “I find it so courageous of you to share your thoughts and feelings and your experience with pictures!

“I can imagine how many young people you have encouraged and given hope by showing that they are not alone in this type of pain/suffering even emotionally.”

Acne affects more than 80% of people in the UK but severe acne is rarer.

Up to 14% of people seek medical help for the condition.

A woman has shared a heartfelt message about her experience of living with acne – and says clear skin is "not the secret to happiness".

Kyrie Green, 24, from Leicestershire, first started developing acne in October 2019 when she switched to a new contraceptive pill.

In an effort to calm her symptoms, Kyrie stopped taking the pill but the damage was done.

The situation soon got so dire that she turned to her GP – via a phone call and photos at first, due to lockdown – who immediately referred the young woman to a dermatologist.

And even the skin expert was shocked by the severity of Kyrie's skin problems.

“I thought my acne would subside, but I was very wrong,” she told Jam Press.

“Over the next few months, the acne got more severe and more painful.

“When I sent the images in, she called me very soon after and said it was clearly serious and I was immediately referred to a dermatologist.

“The dermatologist grimaced when I took my mask off, which knocked my self-esteem quite a bit.

“Going from having completely acne-free skin to a severe breakout was a major shift in my life and it did affect my confidence.

“It was really hard – I never thought I would suffer with acne in the way that I did.”

Kyrie found it difficult to go out in public and adjust to having acne, having only ever had minimal breakouts in the past.

Luckily, lockdown meant that she couldn’t go out as much – with face masks hiding the majority of her face when she did.

But inside, Kyrie's confidence faltered and the young woman was so stressed about the skin that she couldn't think about anything else.

She said: “It was really difficult and I experienced very low lows. I thought all anyone was thinking and talking about was my skin, which was obviously not true at all but I still felt so insecure.

“At the early stage of my breakout I avoided looking in mirrors – my confidence levels were very low.

“I only took pictures of my skin to document the progress – or decline – of its health.

“At one time I had put on makeup because I was going to a job interview, and it was my first time wearing foundation in a few months. I caught myself in the mirror and burst into tears.”

Kyrie saw multiple dermatologists, as well as her GP, who said that the synthetic hormone in the pill she had been taking for two years prior had been slowly causing the acne.

Her GP prescribed a four-month course of antibiotics, which saw a dramatic improvement in Kyrie's symptoms.

Although she wouldn’t warn people off of the contraceptive pill fully, Kyrie thinks it is important that people are educated on the side effects before they start taking it.

“The pill has negatively impacted so many people’s lives and I think there is a certain duty of care when it comes to telling people what they could experience,” she said.

“Obviously there are side effects listed on the packet but when a person is 15 or 16 years old, I think we should try harder to educate them.

“I will never go back on hormonal contraception because it doesn’t suit me.

“I feel so free not being on them anymore – I feel like myself for the first time in years.”

Her skin has now cleared up a lot, with Kyrie only suffering with more severe breakouts during periods of ovulation and menstruation – but they are nothing compared to her previous struggle.

However, she says healing the acne hasn't made her happier.

Instead, the account executive praises the online community of fellow acne sufferers for helping her accept her skin and coming to terms with it.

Kyrie said: “I found that my happiness was not just about the condition of my skin.

“It was only one layer and in the end, when my face started to heal, that alone didn’t make me a happier person.

“What made me happy throughout my journey was the support I received on Instagram, through the acne community and through loved ones.

“Having that support system there helped me to accept my skin for whatever it was.

“After I started to post about my acne on Instagram, I accepted my skin and realised that acne is normal.”

Kyrie has now shared her experiences and photos in the hopes that it will help others who are suffering from acne.

“It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking that clear skin is the answer to all of your problems but I promise you it’s not," she wrote in a post which has since gone viral.

“Acne-free skin is not a long-term happiness solution.

“I’m here to tell you that your emotions are valid and happiness isn’t something that happens overnight."

The Instagram post has received more than 6,500 likes so far, leaving social media users touched – with many thanking Kyrie for sharing her experience.

One person said: “I’m glad I found your account! You have helped me on my journey to accepting my skin!”

“Your skin condition doesn’t = happiness,” another person agreed. [sic]

Another viewer said: “You helped me love my acne.”

“Girl you are amazing we love the acne positivity,” someone else agreed.

Another person added: “Wowww the progress is unbelievable.” [sic]

“You are beautiful,” commented one fan.

Someone else said: “I find it so courageous of you to share your thoughts and feelings and your experience with pictures!

“I can imagine how many young people you have encouraged and given hope by showing that they are not alone in this type of pain/suffering even emotionally.”

Acne affects over 80% of people in the UK but severe acne is more rare.

Up to 14% of people seek medical help for the condition.